skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: 'Dirty' Energy is Killing our Wildlife

play audio
Play

Thursday, January 19, 2012   

RICHMOND, Va. - From oil spills in the Gulf to coal mining in Appalachia, the quest for energy is impacting wildlife. A report released today highlights 10 cases of birds, plants and fish which are suffering the most - including some in Virginia.

Jan Randall, a professor emeritus at San Francisco State University and a fellow of the California Academy of Science, is a wildlife biologist who contributed to the report for the Endangered Species Coalition.

"Coal, all the oil exploration, development, transportation, the spills, and now there's the shale oil, and then you get into the fracking. We're paying a huge environmental cost."

In Appalachia, the report says, toxic coal waste is dumped into streams, smothering the threatened Kentucky arrow darter and other fish as well as poisoning the drinking water supply for downstream communities.

An example of an endangered animal in Virginia, she says, is the tan riffleshell, a mussel that plays a critical role to the health of Appalachian rivers by filtering pollutants and restoring nutrients to the water. Acidic mine drainage and sedimentation from coal mining are threatening the habitat of this endangered mussel.

"Fossil fuel exploration and extraction - it's just so pervasive and I'm afraid a lot of people think that if it's in the ground we have to get it out, and you have to think of the alternatives."

The report calls for an end to politically charged in-fighting over wildlife protections, and urges lawmakers to honor the intent of the Endangered Species Act while reducing the nation's dependence on dirty fossil fuels.

All species of animals and plants have a function in nature, Randall says, and everything is interconnected, which keeps the environment stable.

The full report, "Fueling Extinction: How Dirty Energy Drives Wildlife to the Brink," is online at fuelingextinction.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021